Abidjan is the biggest fishing harbour of tropical tunas in the Gulf of Guinea (around 100 000 mt per year). Three canneries work on four species (yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye and albacore). Small size tuna, minor tuna and by-catches are refused by the canneries and are sold on the local market fish. It is the only part of the industrial purse seine catches directly sold in Abidjan. Since 1990, fishing operations on schools of tuna associated with artificial drifting FADs has become widespread. Log fishery allow to catch a majority of small tunas, and generates by-catches of various other pelagic species associated to the logs. The landed amounts of local market fish have increased: from 8 500 Mt per year estimated between 1987 and 1990, 21 000 Mt is... |